Volunteering Matters chief executive to retire

Volunteering Matters has announced that its chief executive Oonagh Aitken will retire at the end of June.

Aitken has been with Volunteering Matters for seven years, five as chief executive, during which time she led the charity through a name change from Community Service Volunteers.

She began her career in teaching before working in the education directorate of Strathclyde Regional Council, followed by senior posts in Glasgow City Council and Fife Council.

Aitken is also president of the international network Volonteurope and on the board of European networks Solidar, the European Civic Forum and Civil Society Europe.

A recruitment process for Aitken’s replacement is underway, with full details available from the recruitment agency Green Park.

Aitken said: “It has been a great pleasure and a privilege to serve as chief executive for such an extraordinary organisation which I sincerely hope will go from strength to strength. I would wholeheartedly encourage people to apply for this leadership role.”

Anne Heal, the charity’s chair, said: “We’d like to thank Oonagh for seven years of dedication to the charity, steering us with great leadership to where we are now.

“In that time she has refined our strategic direction, updated our identity to better reflect what we do and ensured we are recognised as one of the UK’s leading volunteering charities.

“Oonagh will be very hard to replace, but we will do our very best to find a brilliant successor to take Volunteering Matters forward.”